Marigold's overactive imagination had gotten her into trouble again. She'd been romanticizing the forest, getting in touch with nature, and now she was lost. She knew she couldn't be too far from the campsite she and her friends had chosen for the weekend, but she had no idea which direction to go. She'd been dreamily composing a poem in her head, something about the mystery of the woods, and some little spark in the back of her brain had suggested perhaps this was a magic forest, filled with fairies and talking animals. She knew it was ridiculous, of course, but she'd scampered ever deeper into the depths of the woods, caught up in her fantasy.
It was probably all to blame on all the fantasy books she read, she thought. Unicorns and dragons and talking cats, elves and fairies and lonely sorcerors who lived alone in the forest, it was all terribly fun to think about, but less fun now the sun was beginning to set and and there was a chill in the air. She called out, hoping someone would hear her - her friends, another camper, a forest ranger, anyone. She kept yelling until her throat began to feel hoarse. Still no one responded. She felt like she'd been walking for miles; how had she not reached the campsite or at least the end of the forest? If only she could find a park road, that would be something.
Marigold hugged herself, rubbing her arms in an effort to keep warm. It wasn't too uncomfortable yet, but she knew the temperature up here would drop drastically once the sun set and night came. Maybe she could find some shelter, a cave or a hollow tree. At least she would have a warmer place to stay the night, and in the morning her friends were bound to come looking for her. Perhaps there would be a full search party, helicopters and a full crew of rangers, followed by reporters. They'd interview her and fill the air with her story, with how brave she'd been. 'It was nothing,' she'd say, 'I knew I would be found eventually.' She'd use the opportunity to create her greatest poem yet, post it on the internet and achieve fame. 'What a brave girl,' everyone would say, 'to survive such an ordeal.' Men would feel the overwhelming urge to protect her from another such mishap, she'd have them falling at her feet to be with her...
The crack of a branch snapping drew her from her fantasy. A squirrel went zipping by overhead, and Marigold shook her head. How silly she was being! She'd always hand a tendency to romanticize things, and look where that had gotten her. She told herself she would be quite content with being found, soon and unharmed, and never mind the tv reporters and the men. Well, perhaps just one man. A handsome park ranger, overcome by her beauty, sweeping her into his arms and covering her with a blanket, insisting she was too weak to walk, taking her to his home and nursing her back to health. He'd spoon-feed her broth, and one night they'd kiss...
"Stop it, Marigold!" she said out loud. She really needed to focus, no more letting her imagination run wild. It was getting darker by the minute, and if she didn't find a place to shelter her from the cold, it was going to be a very long and miserable night. They'd find her poor frozen body, and the tragic story would be all over the news. 'How sad,' everyone would say. No, focus! She picked a direction at random and set off.
*
She'd been walking for forever. It was a magical forest, and once you entered, you were doomed to keep walking until you died of thirst, and then the forest trees sucked your body dry for nutrients... she was disrupted from her latest imagining by the realization that there was light up ahead. A light! She broke into a run and came upon a cabin. There was smoke coming from the chimney and her hands shook as she thought of the warmth. She was saved! She ran to the door and hammered her fists on it.
"Hello? Hello? Please, help me!" she cried. There was no response. She tried again, knocking louder. "Hello? Please, I'm lost and I need help." Still no response. Maybe no one was home? Hands trembling, she reached for the door handle. It was unlocked, and she pushed her way in, thanking her lucky stars. "Hello? I'm so sorry to intrude, but I'm lost, you see..." Her voice trailed off as she realized that the cabin was empty. It wasn't terribly large, and was set up as one room only, so she was quite certain she was alone. She hurried to the wood stove in the corner, which was radiating waves of heat. Marigold had never felt anything so glorious.
Once she'd soaked up enough heat to feel human again, she began to look around at her surroundings. There were a few deer heads mounted on the wall, and a large gun rack on the wall opposite. She guessed it must be some kind of hunting cabin. There were three beds near the back of the cabin, completely open to the room and each other. Probably some sort of bachelor get-away pad, then. If it was a family they would probably have made some attempt at separation, for privacy. That was fine, as long as they were hospitable bachelors. She imagined them coming home from a day's hunting, shocked and delighted to find a beautiful young woman in dire need of their help. They'd fuss over her, radio for help, insist she take a bed while they slept on the couch and waited for help...
Her growling stomach brought her back to reality. Surely such hospitable men wouldn't begrudge her some food. She'd noticed a pot on the wood stove earlier, and when she opened the lid, she found a stew of sorts. A quick search of the 'kitchen' portion of the cabin revealed bowls and utensils, and she soon had a heart helping dished up, burning her tongue as she scarfed it down. It was delicious. Once she'd eaten her fill, unabashedly going back for seconds, she began to feel sleepy. Maybe she'd just lie down on the couch for a few minutes. She stretched out, trying to get comfortable, but it was hard and unyielding. With a sigh, Marigold sat up and eyeballed the beds across the room. Maybe she could just take a short nap on one, leaping up and pretending she hadn't the instant someone arrived home. They looked warm and inviting.
She crossed the room and laid down on the bed nearest the fire, but quickly decided it was much too warm there, and moved to the bed furthest away. Before she could drift off, she began to feel chilled, and moved again, this time to the bed in the middle. It was the perfect compromise, and soon Marigold was fast asleep.
She was startled awake by voices. How long had she been sleeping?
"Well, well. What do we have here?" A gruff masculine voice was coming from the foot of the bed. Marigold sat up and her blood ran cold. A large man was standing there with a rifle pointed directly at her. Two other men flanked him, one on each side, and both had weapons drawn on her as well.
